Bible Commentaries
Haggai 1

Verse 1

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Walking Thru The Bible

HAGGAI

These last three prophets in the Old Testament are from the period following the Babylonian captivity which we often call the "Restoration Period" or post-exilic period. The common message of these prophets was: return to the right ways of the Lord.

Haggai and Zechariah were particularly concerned with the rebuilding of the temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians nearly 70 years before. The people had been tending to their personal affairs and neglecting the temple and other spiritual responsibilities.

HAGGAI

Haggai has been described as a man with a single ambition. He preached to a poor, discouraged, and frightened people. He attributed their lack of success in all areas of their national life to the single fact of their neglect of the temple. In a bold and authoritative manner, he pleaded for the people to rebuild the temple.

Haggai and Zechariah are credited with getting the temple completed c. 516 BC (Ezra 6:14-15). The dates of Haggai’s ministry which is covered in the book is only about four months in the year 520 BC (Haggai 1:1; Haggai 2:1; Haggai 2:10; Haggai 2:20).

The temple foundation had been laid almost immediately after the exiles returned from Babylon. But then about sixteen years intervened before the work resumed. It took the powerful exhortation of Haggai and Zechariah to motivate Zerubbabel and Jeshua to arise and begin to rebuilt the house of God.

Outline of Haggai:

The prophecy consist of four messages to the returned exiles.

1. The first message was a call to rebuild the temple. The people objected saying that the time to rebuild had not come. Haggai answered, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled houses, while this house lieth waste?" He delivered a stinging rebuke to the people for seeking to establish their own prosperity while neglecting spiritual responsibilities. The result of this sermon was that Zerubbabel, Joshua and the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord and began rebuilding (Haggai 1:12-15).

2. The second message was designed to encourage the people who had undertaken the rebuilding (Haggai 2:1-9).

3. The third recalled that sin and impure hearts had brought God’s punishment in the past (Haggai 2:10-14) and promised that obedience and pure hearts would bring divine blessings (Haggai 2:15-19).

4. The fourth message is a messianic prophecy (Haggai 2:20-23).

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